slipknot0129

I got a cannondale touring 1 and the only thing I have to lock it with is a heavy 4ft chain with a padlock. I dont live in a big city so I think theres a less of a chance of someone stealing it. .No bike shop so I dont think people would know if its a expensive bike or not.

colombo357

Bolt cutters can SILENTLY get through anything short of hardened chain (gold/purple colored) in under 10 seconds.

You know your area, be the judge. A U-lock is much harder to get through. Requires a noisy grinder, and most idiot thugs don't have em.

Floriante

Isnt it possible to bolt-cut a U-lock?

Robert Foster

If you get a strong case hardened chain it is pretty hard to use a bolt cutter on it. But it has to be a big case hardened chain. I once busted a industrial sized 42 inch bolt cutter on a case hardened chain because someone had put superglue in a lock I used on the chain. Turns out it was much easier to cut off the lock than the chain. However that being said a 18-24 volt angle grinder will make short work of either a U lock or Chain. I once had to cut through a case hardened lock with a 18 volt Sawsall. It worked.

Speedskater

It's all about location, location, location. On weekend club rides I've seen $30,000 worth of bikes at a restaurant with no locks. But in other places thieves go to great effort and (health) risks to steel stuff that has little value.

StephenH

A "heavy" 4' chain will be heavier than a U-lock. You can get the U-locks by mail order. Also check at Walmart or Academy. I'd pass over the $10 Bell-brand U-locks, though.

When I ride the cruiser to the grocery store, I take a U-lock and lock it up.
When I ride the road bike in the country side, I take a light cable lock to lock up at convenience stores. But I don't normally leave it like that for long, either.

slipknot0129

So a $20 kryptonite u-lock at walmart would be better? Cant people unlock it with a pen?

bicyclist

You can't do the pen trick with a new kryptonite lock.
Personally, I find a kryptonite mini and the Sheldon Brown method works just fine for being lightweight and for my peace of mind. Bike hasn't been stolen---yet.

geo8rge

In your area I would worry more about someone knowing you have it and steeling it from your residence. It might even be second hand knowledge: "that guy there has a great bike ... he does, does he ..."

In big cities bikes are used for transport and left on the street for long periods of time, even days.

You can make the bike less inviting by taking the seat and other quick release parts with you.

A GPS tracker bug with text messaging might also work for you, although I have no real world evidence of it working.

AndrewP

Carry a light cable lock on the bike, and leave heavy U-locks or hardened chains locked at the places where you reularly leave your bike (work, supermarket, library etc). 6 keys are a lot lighter than 1 decent lock.

Bikewer

You can cut a good U-lock with a bolt cutter, but you need a REALLY big one, and it has to be sharp. The residential-life folks here at the college cut off illegally parked bikes now and then, and they bought one that's a good four feet long. Not something you'd carry around. The facilities guys use an angle grinder and a cutting wheel.

Years ago, Cycling magazine did a "shootout" of available locks, and the New York Chain from Kryptonite scored best. However, it's about 20 pounds with lock... more than a lot of bikes nowadays.

Retro Grouch 

The first lock that you use to secure your bike, no matter how cheesy, is about 90% effective. That's because it forces the thief to use some kind of tool to steal the bike.

As you progress upward from 90% you engage in a progressive game of high tech one-up-mans-ship with the thief. Since thieves find ways to break into vaults I don't think that a bike on the street can ever be totally safe.